


Further Experimentation

by andromedaluly



Category: Herbert West - Reanimator - H. P. Lovecraft, Re-Animator (Movies)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, First Kiss, Fluff, Herbert West Being Creepy (Re-Animator), Horror, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mad Scientists in Love, Mild Language, Referenced Medical Experimentation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:28:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29027217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andromedaluly/pseuds/andromedaluly
Summary: Dan had found out the hard way - no, the worst possible way - that he was unable to do anything but go along with what Herbert said.
Relationships: Daniel Cain/Herbert West
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	Further Experimentation

**Author's Note:**

> Just some Herbert/Dan fluff, set shortly after the events of Re-Animator (1985). Characters belong to the film franchise.

“Hi Dan.”

Those were the first words out of Herbert West’s mouth when he showed up at Dan’s doorstep, after all they’d been through. He was standing in the rain, looking very small and wet in that crumpled suit of his.

“What do you want, West?”

“I’m here to apologize for killing your girlfriend. _Indirectly_ killing her, that is.”

“Right,” Dan said, unconvinced.

Herbert shifted his glasses, which were fogging up. “Aren’t you going to let me in?”

“Let you in? Wha-why would I do that?”

“My things are still in the house.”

He was unbelievable. _Absolutely unbelievable_. But Dan had found out the hard way - no, the worst possible way - that he was unable to do anything but go along with what Herbert said. There was something fascinating about him, the half-a-tick-off reactions and the ease with which emotions flitted across his delicate features. Almost as if you could read his thoughts by looking at him, only they were never what you expected them to be from moment to moment.

Dan opened the door wider and stepped aside, internally berating himself.

“Lovely place you’ve got here, Dan,” Herbert said flatly. He immediately headed toward his bedroom. 

“I, uhm, got the basement cleaned up.”

“Good. Professionally?”

“Uh...yeah.”

Herbert stopped walking so abruptly that Dan almost ran into him. “I’ll reimburse you.”

“Uhm. Thanks?” It was difficult to know what to say, especially when Herbert seemed immune to any discomfort. Not knowing what to do, Dan followed him when he continued walking down the hall.

He hadn’t done anything with Herbert’s room since the strange events that had separated them for months. He hadn’t even known for certain that Herbert was alive, although something told him he was. If nothing else, the reagent that he injected as a stimulant had probably kept him from being killed by his own mistakes. Still, it had been horrifying to leave him there, flailing and choking in the tangle of reanimated organs. For some reason, the memory of Herbert’s hand desperately grabbing for his own was the most poignant one. That, and, he didn’t have to remind himself, the sight of Meg dying. 

_That was Herbert’s fault_ , he thought. _Because he’s sick and evil and needs to be stopped._

“Coming in?” Herbert asked, noticing that Dan was lingering in the doorway. He was already rifling through the open mini fridge, rearranging bottles and marking things down as if taking inventory.

“No one’s touched your stuff,” Dan said quickly. He awkwardly sat down on the edge of Herbert’s bed. “The police talked about searching, but they didn’t get around to much.” _It’s hard to investigate a murder when the dead bodies aren’t dead anymore_.

“Thank you, Dan. Everything does seem to be in order.”

Dan sighed. “All right. Why are you really here?”

Herbert stood, cocked his head to one side. “I’m back,” he said quizzically. “This is where I live.” His eyes were impossibly wide. “I pay rent, don’t I?”

“Well, yeah, but...where have you been? It’s been months.”

“Thought I was dead, didn’t you?” Herbert’s mouth quirked up into a smile, an unsettling shift. “You were worried about me, weren’t you, Dan?”

_Holy shit, he was messed up_. “I wasn’t worried about you, West. Why would I be worried about you, you’re psychotic.”

“Oh,” Herbert said faintly. “I thought we were friends.

_Now why did that hurt so much?_

“Well, we’re not. And I’d just as soon you found somewhere else to live, or hide from the authorities, or whatever it is you’re doing,” Dan said.

“Hm.” Herbert readjusted his glasses again before meeting Dan’s eyes. “Actually, I have a proposition for you.”

_No. No way in hell_ , he thought, but of course he found himself asking what it was.

“It’s a plan to bring back Meg. I mean, really bring her back. With a lot of experimentation this time. Organized trials, no slip-ups.”

Dan liked the way his eyes lit up as he said this, the way his mouth moved when he was talking excitedly. “Okay...”

“We’ll need a good space to work. I’m glad the basement’s cleaned, Dan, that was excellent foresight. We’ll try to keep things under control this time, wouldn’t want to make a mess down there. Not again.”

“Wait, slow down. I’m suspended from med school. I’m guessing you are, too. Where will we get the resources? The equipment?”

“I’ve got quite a lot stored here, Dan.” He grinned to himself. “Don’t look under the bed.”

“You said trials. What about test subjects?”

Herbert paused, stared at him thoughtfully. “I’ve been thinking about that...”

_Oh fuck_. “Herbert. You’re not going to kill me, are you?” Somehow, the idea wasn’t as terrifying as it should have been. 

Herbert sat down on the bed, a little closer to Dan than was necessary. “Of course not. You’re the only subject I’ve got for now. And my only friend, despite what you may believe.” He tentatively touched the side of Dan’s face, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. “The procedures will be minimally invasive, Dan,” he said sweetly. “You’ll barely feel a thing, I promise.”

“Y-you promise? Why should I trust you? You don’t exactly have a great track record for-“

“Sh sh sh, there’s no need to get defensive,” Herbert said, reminding Dan vaguely of the way he had spoken to him when he was in shock. “Have I ever broken a promise to you?” When Dan didn’t reply, he continued, “I promised the cat was dead. It was. I promised I’d pay rent. I promised we could bring all those people back and we did, right?”

“You promised I wouldn’t even know you were living here,” Dan mumbled. 

“Oh. Hm. I guess that was a bit of an exaggeration.” His hand was back in Dan’s hair, fiddling with the curl he had just tucked into place. “But, you see I do care, and I’m making a promise now. I won’t let anything happen to you. Nothing permanent.”

_To Herbert, that includes death_ , Dan thought, but he was beginning to latch onto the idea just the same. “Fine. Yes.”

“Yes? I’d like full consent this time. For research integrity.” _Oh my…_

“Yes, I’ll be your test subject,” Dan said.

Herbert looked absolutely giddy. “Excellent! When can we start?”

“I guess...whenever you’re ready...?”

“It’ll take me a few hours to sterilize the instruments and set up my first experiment.”

“Great...” said Dan, somewhat baffled by the fact that he had just committed himself to Herbert with no restrictions. He was either insane or insanely stupid, and he had been second in his class at Miskatonic. 

However, it was when Herbert started to get up that Dan knew his brain had completely lost control of his body. Without thinking, he caught Herbert’s wrist, pulling him back down to the bed. 

“Uhm, West! I think...well...I feel like I’m under a lot of psychological stress right now. I’m concerned it might negatively affect your findings. So...I need to increase my endorphin levels, to make me feel a little better about all of this.”

“Oh?”

“Uhm, yeah. I really just sort of...” He drew in a deep breath. “...need to kiss you right now.” It was ridiculous, he knew it, but Herbert simply nodded.

“Okay, Dan.”

Dan was still holding Herbert’s wrist, so he grabbed his other one and pulled him in, which was made a little awkward by the fact that Herbert seemed unwilling to move himself, but Dan didn’t mind. Once he had Herbert’s face next to his, it didn’t matter; he was so soft and beautiful that he swallowed up all of Dan’s thoughts. When he pulled away, he felt Herbert’s breath rush out in a tiny sigh against his skin. 

“Was that sufficient?” Herbert asked. “To decrease your situational stress?”

“Mm. I don’t think so,” Dan whispered, brushing his lips along Herbert’s jawline. “I’d better do it again, to make sure.”

“And then you’ll be a good test subject?”

“The best.”

**Author's Note:**

> Heaven help them, but these two are *soft*
> 
> Other announcements: I do not condone reanimation or other forms of medical experimentation as part of a healthy relationship (I let you inject my brain cells with reagent, what are we?)


End file.
